Monchi speaks about Arsenal at his Sevilla presentation, explains why he’s not a Gunner

Even before Monchi left AS Roma there were many reports that he could soon be popping at Arsenal.

With the Premier League club looking to change their recruitment staff, Monchi looked to be an obvious target for the Gunners. He’d worked well with Unai Emery at Sevilla, the period not only led to trophies, which pleases fans, but also to a good financial balance on transfers, which pleases the money men.

When he left Roma, there were almost immediate claims that he’d be announced by Arsenal soon.

Marca were one of those to put a brake on things, explaining the process may take longer, with Monchi having offers from elsewhere and wanting to weigh his options up.

Then Sevilla sacked their manager Pablo Machin, replaced him with director of sport Joaquín Caparrós, and set their heart on a Monchi return.

At the time it was still being reported in England that Arsenal would likely be his destination, yet in Spain it was quickly made clear just how confident Sevilla were about getting him.

And they did.

Monday has seen Monchi’s unveiling and press conference, and he was asked about offers from elsewhere, which led him to speak about the Gunners option.

Estadio Deportivo quote him as saying: “I appreciate the interest of Arsenal, perhaps the one that has shown the most interest, and of other clubs who have made contact. I have evaluated the proposals I had and I have chosen Sevilla. It was the one that brought things together and had the conditions for me.”